When Ninja Theory released Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice in 2017, it showed the world that this unassuming studio was far more creatively versatile than they led on. DmC: Devil May Cry might've been a stain on their portfolio, but the developer rose above and beyond to become one of Xbox's leading talents today. Needless to say, Senua's Saga: Hellblade II carried a lot of hype, anticipation and the desire from Ninja Theory to deliver an experience that transcended not only Senua's saga, but the gaming medium as a whole.



Senua's Saga: Hellblade II picks up some time after the events of the first game. Senua washes on the shores of Midgard after the ship were she was enslaved on gets wrecked in a storm. Here, she discovers a mythical land where giants are sinister, dangerous threats lurking beneath the surface of the earth, mercilessly killing innocents - and only Senua can stop it.



Hellblade II tells an engaging fantasy story that took me by surprise. The giants plotline immediately hooks you because of how confidently Ninja Theory builds an immersive, believable atmosphere and sets a remarkably grim tone. Getting straight to the point, this is quite possibly the best-looking game I've ever played - a true visual powerhouse and showcase of Ninja Theory's unmatched technical craftsmanship in the gaming industry. Paired with incredibly immersive cinematics and seamless gameplay, and it could be argued that Hellblade II sets a new, very high bar for visual presentations in gaming.

Getting straight to the point, this is quite possibly the best-looking game I've ever played - a true visual powerhouse...

The motion capture work and facial animations also deserve a lot of reconition because in an industry with Death Stranding or The Last of Us Part II pushing the envelope, it's rare for a game to come along and not only match, but outshine them. Senua's mocap is extraordinary, allowing actress Melina Juergens to once again deliver a stellar, emotionally charged performance that's bound to win a few awards this year.



That said, Senua's Saga: Hellblade II has to be more than just a vehicle for boundary-pushing graphics. The gameplay has to deliver as well and in that regard, it mostly sticks very closely to the formula of the first game with some minor tweaks and changes. Ninja Theory does away with mob fights and changes combat to one-on-one encounters - a wise choice as it allows players to focus on deflecting, dodging and striking a single target instead of worrying about being flanked. What's even more surprising is how the game manages to seamlesly weave in and out of one combat encounter after the next, never breaking immersion as another enemy enters the fray.

Senua's combat capabilities are still limited to light and heavy attacks, dodging and parrying before an enemy lands a strike, which staggers them for a few vital seconds to unleash a flurry of cuts and swings. The new Focus mechanic plays into combat as well, temporarily slowing down time to retaliate. When you're being beaten into a corner, Focus absolutely comes in handy to turn the tide of a fight, though it has limited usage via a meter that needs to be built up by successfully parrying or landing attacks.



Combat is in much better state in Hellblade II than it was in the first game, though it can still feel a bit clunky, especially when "dodging" which clumsily flings Senua in a direction with all the weight of a tank. Unless this was an intentional design choice to get players to rely more on parrying, which seems to be the case. Unfortunately when going up against enemies that can shoot streams of fire at you, it's difficult to read exactly which direction Senua is going to dodge.

Combat is in much better state in Hellblade II than it was in the first game, though it can still feel a bit clunky...

All that said, combat only accounts for 25% of the overall gameplay in Senua's Saga: Hellblade II, which is about the same as the first game. Most of your time will be spent traversing through the jaw-dropping, gorgeous highlands and vistas of Midgard, soaking in the visuals or solving puzzles - which are back with a vengeance. While I didn't mind the environmental puzzles in the first game, Hellblade II steps it up by introducing spectral bubbles that, when tapped with Focus, can alter the landscape in front of you. Hills are flipped, boulders are displaced and your controller vibrates with the intensity of a thousand earthquakes when you're near a potential puzzle solution. The basic mechanics of the puzzle-solving hasn't changed much but the new world-altering mechanics do enough to work some of your brain cells, even if the puzzles tend to feel really tedious after a while.



We've been spoiled on action games in the past that move at a relatively fast pace. If that's your kind of game, then Senua's Saga: Hellblade II will not appeal to you. The pace of the game can be very slow, deliberately so to reflect Senua's mental space or unravel the story, punctuated by mesmerising cinematics and epic moments that border on grand dark fantasy and even nail-biting horror at times. Something between Beowulf and Attack on Titan, Hellblade II isn't afraid to go very big during its striking action sequences. However, these moments are few and far between.

What you're left with is a reflective, deeply personal game that uses itself as a platform to explore psychosis, mental illness and Senua's stormy state of mind. Like the first game, her inner voices are with you every step of the way on this journey, constantly wrestling with Senua's internal conflicts and dilemmas. Dare I say, they give you very little room to breathe, and it can be a bit overwhelming sometimes. Ninja Theory still uses excellent sound design to convey those whispering thoughts (best experienced with headphones, it goes without saying), but Hellblade II is grim and not easy to digest - it's also surprisingly uplifting when it sticks the landing on its heavy subject matter and messaging, and I think that's really important.



The biggest element holding Senua's Saga: Hellblade II back is, well, itself. This is such a unique experience that it's almost impossible to weigh it against the ambitions of other games in the action/adventure genre, if one can even call Hellblade II that. It needs to be judged in isolation because as soon as you try to fit into a pocket, you'll discover a game that's simply not going to cater to everyone and only those who absolutely know what they're getting into. You're getting more of the first game here - more of the same bold qualities, challenging themes and especially the same shortcomings only amplified as a sequel.

Even after exhaustively exploring the environments for anything I might've missed, I still finished the game in about six hours.

On the topic of shortcomings (no pun intended), Hellblade II is a very short game that's linear to a fault. Ninja Theory had the opportunity to expand the breadth of the world with this sequel and deliver a larger, denser land. It's certainly larger but only by virtue of its setting and background scenery. It's mostly a linear experience with small side paths to discover lore totems or trees. In fact, even after exhaustively exploring the environments for anything I might've missed, I still finished the game in about six hours. The first game can get away with this but for a sequel under the banner of Xbox Game Studios, I was hoping for something a bit more expansive. There are ways to pull this off without inflating the game's length beyond what's necessary.



You're also not going to get much replay value out of Senua's Saga: Hellblade II. You can easily complete it in a day, though there's not much incenvitising you to take a second dip once the credits roll. Some unlockables like additional costumes or cosmetics could've helped. I'm not holding it against the game, though. In a way, it's refreshing to get this kind of gaming experience today: one that delivers a concise, epic journey in one sitting like watching a long movie. The fact that it's on Game Pass and sold for $50 also softens the blow somewhat. Again, just know what you're getting into.

From a technical standpoint, I tested Senua's Saga: Hellblade II on all of its available platforms: Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PC. Unsurprisingly, the PC version comes out the strongest but on Xbox Series X, it's the closest thing to a game that feels like it pushes the console to some limits, boasting a rock-solid frame rate with little to no visual hiccups. On Xbox Series S, it's running at a lower resolution with some knocks to the visuals - mostly evident in shadows and shading - but nothing that can be considered a deal-breaker, to be honest. Regardless of where you play Hellblade II, you're going to get a good experience as it's optimised very well across the board, at least from my initial testing.



Senua's Saga: Hellblade II is a true visual powerhouse and arguably the best-looking game ever made, with very few coming close to its unmatched presentation, graphics and polish. It tells a gripping, dark and emotionally resonant story with a great hook that immerses you from the first second to the last. At a length of only six hours, it might be a sour spot considering its lack of replay value, though there are arguments to be made in its favour as well. While it tends to amplify the first game's shortcomings, it also proves that Ninja Theory's talents and skills are only just being sharpened.

*Review code provided by Xbox